Atmanirbhar Bharat: Important decision! Modi government issues National Security Directive on Telecom sector - All you need to know

Modi government on Wednesday took an important decision by issuing a National Security Directive on Telecommunication Sector. Government says this step has been taken to strengthen national security and further Atmanirbhar Bharat objectives including thorough involvement of all stakeholders within government and in the private sector. Here are top points to know on National Security Directive on Telecommunication sector:-

Considering the security concerns and for the protection of India’s essential national security interests, the Cabinet has for the first time approved a framework by issuing the National Security Directive on Telecom Sector.  This will provide a significant boost in ensuring national security by addressing 5G and supply chain concerns. 

Under the provisions of the Directive, in order to maintain the integrity of the supply chain security and in order to discourage insecure equipment in the network, Government will declare a list of ‘Trusted Sources/ Trusted Products’ for the benefit of the Telecom Service providers.

The list of equipment to be covered under this Directive and the methodology to designate ‘Trusted Products’ will be devised by the Designated Authority who is the National Cyber Security Coordinator (NCSC). Telecom Service Providers are required to connect new devices which are designated ‘Trusted Products”.

The Designated Authority will make its determination based on approval of a committee headed by Deputy NSA. The committee will consist of members from relevant departments/Ministries and will also have two members from industry and an independent expert. The Committee will be called National Security Committee on Telecom (NSCT).

Noteworthy, India is amongst the top three countries in the world facing cyber-attacks.  In 2019, there were Four Lakh cyber incidents handled by CERT-In.  MeitY has recently told Parliament that till August 2020, Indian citizens, government and business entities faced almost Seven Lakh cyber-attacks.  A sum of Rs.1.24 Lakh Crores was lost due to cyber-crime in India during the last year.  Recent ransomware attacks as well as data and identity thefts are a serious cause for concern from national security angle.